KOLKATA: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday framed BJP's sweeping victory in West Bengal not merely as a political win but as a decisive shift tied to national security as he addressed newly elected party MLAs.
Victory's Significance Beyond Politics
"Friends, this victory is not merely about BJP's expansion or ideology. Nor is it about forming a BJP-NDA government in the 21st state. The biggest importance of this victory is that it plugs one of the biggest holes in India's national security. BJP promises people of Bengal that the country will identify and remove every infiltrator from India," Shah said at the meeting in Kolkata.
The home minister accused the vanquished Trinamool Congress of "institutionalising political violence, encouraging the criminalisation of politics" and weakening the state's administrative machinery through its 15 years in government. "In a BJP government, neither will administration be politicised nor will politics be criminalised."
BJP's Expanding Footprint
Shah then moved to highlight BJP's vast footprint. "From Gangotri to Gangasagar, there are now BJP governments. We began this journey in the 1950s with the ideology of Syama Prasad Mookerjee. In 2026, his own party is governing his homeland. We must seek his blessings," he said.
Quoting from Rabindranath Tagore's poem, 'Chitto Jetha Bhayshunyo' (Where the mind is without fear), Shah declared that the change of guard marks the beginning of an era where "the road to a fearless Bengal has widened". He exhorted BJP workers to fulfil the dream of "Sonar Bangla", saying their government will dismantle Bengal's entrenched "syndicate raj, cut-money politics" and the dominance of local strongmen.
Magnitude of Victory
Underscoring the victory's magnitude, Shah pointed out that the new BJP MLAs had won by an average margin of 28,000 votes, with TMC drawing a blank in nine districts.
He struck a conciliatory note towards the end of his address, appealing to all political parties to abjure violence and ensure peace and democratic functioning in the state. "Wherever BJP has formed governments, we have ensured violence-free elections. It is now our responsibility to ensure Bengal, too, witnesses elections free from violence and rigging," Shah said.
Shah's remarks come as the BJP prepares to form its first government in West Bengal, ending the TMC's decade-and-a-half rule. The home minister emphasised that the new administration will focus on security and development, targeting illegal immigration and corruption.
